Rooftop Films Summer Series Film Festival 2024 in New York

Every summer Rooftop Films presents a colorful mix of indie movies, documentaries and short films in New York City. The festival is unique due to its outdoor venues like rooftops, parks, piers, or other scenic locations in NYC and beyond. It's also known due to its eclectic film selection. The annual Summer Series usually features anywhere from 30 to 60 screenings each year.

This Is What We Mean by Short Films: Opening Night (May 17, 2024)

This year's Rooftop Films Summer Series will kick off at the Green-Wood cemetery, an eerie but magical site that draws thousands of people to its grounds. With a 28-year history of hosting film screenings, Rooftop Films prepares an exceptional selection of last year's independent short films from international and domestic filmmakers.

Besides the film viewing, you'll have a chance to groove to the live music of top-notch artists and dance at a free afterparty. Some days also include dialogue sessions with filmmakers and experts from the field. The gates to the venue open at 7:45 pm and close at 11:30 pm. Ticket to the event costs $20.

Movies & Locations

This year, Rooftop Films put on approximately 20 movie screenings, all featuring stunning short films from up-and-coming filmmakers. The list includes "One Hand Don't Clap," a story about the shaping of the soca music genre, an underdog tale of "Napoleon Dynamite," a touching story of "How to Make Challah," and many others. Movie nights take place all throughout New York, namely at the Green-Wood Cemetry, Fort Green Park, the Brooklyn Commons Park, Brower Park, Gansevoort Plaza, Sunset Park, Louis Armstrong House Museum, New Design High School and the Old American Car Factory.

Admission & Schedule

Some screenings, for example, the Opening and Closing Nights, Rooftop Selects nights, New York Non-Fiction, and Look Into My Eyes viewing, require tickets, which cost $20. The rest of the events are completely free but require prior registration due to limited seat at the venue. The screenings mostly run from 7-7:30 pm until 10:30 pm.

Rooftop Filmmakers Fund

As a nonprofit organization, Rooftop Films helps emerging filmmakers to produce new films, rents equipment and supports film screenings citywide at low-cost to artists and community groups. This is done through its Filmmakers Fund grant. The people behind the project also promote innovative work of new filmmakers, outsider artists, and underrepresented directors.

History of Rooftop Films

Filmmaker Mark Elijah Rosenberg founded the Rooftop Festival in July 1997, when he started showing movies on his rooftop in East Village with a 16 mm projector. Since then, the festival has grown from just a few screenings per season to a large-scale event, featuring dozens of indie works and art pieces. Rooftop Films has become a premier venue for underappreciated cinema showings, focusing mainly on independent short and feature films.